The Winter After the Labrynth
by zxfiredrakexz
Summary: There is a new demigod in camp. After the brutal death of his mother, Collin is chosen to go retrieve the stolen Golden Fleece, alongside Katy Gardener of the Demeter cabin, and Malcolm Royal of the Athena cabin. Katy GardenerxOC
1. Chapter 1

**I do not won Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Rick Riordan owns the rights.**

**This is my first story, but review it honestly. I want all the constructive criticism I can get in order to become a better story writer. **

I've never lived in the same place for very long. My mom is constantly moving us around, saying it's because of her work, but I know better. Everywhere we go the same strange guy shows up. Once he was a neighbor, another time he was the mailman. I don't know why, but he seems completely intent on not letting us out of his sight.

I haven't told my mom that I know about the man. She already has enough troubles on her hand, what with finding work and a school that will take a kid that has been expelled from five public schools. That really doesn't look good on your permanent record.

We were living in on the first of a small, poor apartment complex when he showed up again. This time he was the UPS deliverer dropping off a small thin package, probably about half a foot long. When I answered the door, he was already on his way back to the truck, but he glanced over his shoulder as he climbed into the truck. I shuddered as his dark, soulless eyes burned deep into mine, but quickly turned away.

I crouched down and picked up the small package, and weighed it in my hand. It felt as light as a feather, and strangely warm. I looked for the sender address, but the box was unmarked except the bold words **CATHY SWARMER **printed boldly on the top of the box. Cathy was my mother's first name, but I almost stopped breathing at the following name. My mom said Swarmer was my father's last name, and she made me promise to never mention it while I lived under her roof.

I wondered why someone was using my mother's married name when she was legally divorced, and she now used her maiden name, Tailor.

"Yo, Collin!" a voice drifted down the street, and a small group of teenagers stepped out from one of the alley ways that ran between the apartments, "Wanna play some b-ball?"

"Be right out!" I called back, "I just gotta give something to my mom."

A boy separated himself from the group of teens, and and walked down the road (The neighbor hood was to poor to have sidewalks). When he reached my door, he yanked the small box out of my hand, and started expecting it.

"Is this a present for your mommy?" he said in a mocking tone, "What's in it"

I yanked it back, aware that the rest of the teens had arrived at the door. "I don't know what it is. Someone delivered it to us less than a minute ago."

"Due, your lying," a new voice piped up from the back of the crowd. It was this kid Carson from down the street, "Even I can see that it doesn't have any addresses on it. How would the delivery man know were to take it?"

"Look, it doesn't really matter. Lets just play some basket ball," I rushed inside and dropped the box on the table, "Be outside mom!"

"Be careful!" I heard her call from the one other room in the apartment, "Was there anything in the mail?"

I glanced towards the package, an uneasy feeling growing in my stomach, "Yeah!


	2. Chapter 1 one and a half

**Sorry, but the story got cut off because I forgot to save part of it, so hear is the rest of the chapter.**

"Be careful!" I heard her call from the one other room in the apartment, "Was there anything in the mail?"

I glanced towards the package, an uneasy feeling growing in my stomach, "Yeah! Some guy dropped off a package for you. I left it on the table!"

I stepped out side and jogged down the street joining the group of teens who had already picked teams. "Yo, Collin. You can be on my time," The team captain for the team on the left stepped forward, "You be point guard."

He tossed me the ball, and we all walked down the street to the makeshift basket ball court in front of Carson's house. The street was so narrow here, that it was about the width of a small court, so we used the buildings (which had no lawns) for the boundaries, and two poles cemented in the ground with peach crates super glued to the top as nets.

"We get ball first!" I shouted.

"No you don't. You got more people" Carson shouted from the other side of the court.

One of my team mates stepped up an said, "We have more people, but you have all the bigger people."

More voices chimed in, throwing insults at each other, each team mate trying to argue their point of view. At this point I just wanted to throw the other team the ball and let them start, but my team mates wouldn't forgive me.

I dropped the ball, and walked off the court, figuring it wasn't worth it to get into another fight. I'm pretty sure that I could take anyone there, but there was a big sense of loyalty here, and if I ended up making one enemy, then they would all be my enemy. I looked over my shoulder at the teams, and wasn't surprised to see that some of the boys were already in a fist fight, the ball rolling through around their feet, tripping some of the fighters.

I turned around again, and was about to open my door, when I noticed one of those advertisements that salesmen puts on your doorknob. I pulled it out and noticed that it was giving away free coupons for Dominoes pizza. I stuffed it in my pocket, hoping that later my mom might order some pizza.

When I opened my door, I was surprised to see the place was a mess. I had only been gone five minutes, and my mom never lets the apartment get this messed up. I took another step in the door, and it was then I noticed that there was more than a mess on the floor. It was as if there had been a fight in here.

The couch was flipped over, and the small TV was shattered. There was a strange smear on the wall, that looked suspiciously like blood. The trash can had been tipped over, and pieces of trash littered the floor.

"Mom!" I ran into the small bedroom, expecting to see her asleep on the bed. Instead she lay on the floor in a pool of her own blood, her white t-shirt stained red, "Mom!"

I sank to my knees, ignoring the sticky blood that seeped through my shorts, gluing them to my legs. For years my mom had been all that I had. Apartments, friends, and schools all came and went, but my mom was always right there with me. Now, even she was gone.

I closed my eyes, and gathered her in my arms. Her small frame was light and cold. It seemed that all life had left her, so I was surprised when a low moan escaped her blood stained lips.

"Mom?" She moaned again, and hope flared in my chest, but quickly died again when I saw the long cuts across her neck. It looked as if a giant cat had raked its claws across her throat, and left her to die.

She turned her head slightly, and more blood seeped out of the wounds, "Collin? Is that you?"

"Yes it's me. Just hold on, I'm going to get some help," my voice shook as I spoke.

Her lips moved slightly, her words barely audible, "No help. No help,"

I put her down, and raced out of the room anyway. I rushed to the small drawer were we kept the small cell phone we shared, and yanked it open. The cell phone wasn't there. I raced back into the room, hoping that she had been using it for another one of her business calls, but it was no were in sight.

"Mom were is the cell phone?"

She just groaned and turned over on her back.

"Mom, I can't help you with out it," I sat down at her side and looked into her eyes, "Were is it?"

"Collin," she stretched out her hand, and I noticed that it shook with pain. In it was the small box that had arrived at our doorstep earlier that day, "Take it. Go to New York, and there you will belong. You will find a home there with others like you. There will be trials and pain, but if your anything like your father, you will make it through," I sat back stunned, not at all the nonsense about New York, but at the mention of my father, and the look in her eyes when she said it. Every other time she talked about him, her eyes would be filled with hate, but not this time. No, this time her eyes shone with admiration and love, "And Collin, always remember that I love your."

"No, mom. You're not gonna die."

"Take the box Collin. In it you will find what you need to survive," and with those final words, she drifted off.

I watched as she took her last breath, but said nothing. I let her fall to the floor, and put my head in my knees. I sobbed quietly for a few minutes, but then I remembered the box. I sat up, and stared at the box. I shakily put my hand forward, terrified at what could be in the box. When I picked it up, it felt not different then when I picked it up last. The flaps on the top of the box were closed with normal packing tape, but somehow I knew that what was in the box was not normal.

I tore off the tape, and slowly unfolded the flaps. Inside, resting on a bed of cotton, was a long, thin chain necklace with an archers arrow, made of bronze, hanging from it. I scooped it up and noticed that it felt strangely light and warm against my palm. There was a clasp at the back which I undid, and slid the necklace around my neck. It felt as if it wasn't even there, and I couldn't understand how something so light could possibly be the key to my survival.

I fingered it, wondering if it was some magical charm, but then chided myself for thinking something so stupid.


	3. Chapter 2

**Well this chapter took a lot of thought, but here it is! Chapter Two! **

The taxi hit a pot hole in the road, almost sending Collin through the roof.

"Ow!"

"Sorry back there,"The taxi driver called from the front, "This road was made before cars were. I'll try to go slower so you don't get hurt."

_Like he read my mind, _I thought. I fingered his tattered shirt, and wondered how I looked. I hadn't seen a mirror since I left the little apartment back in Trenton. _I must look like a homeless kid._

The taxi slowed to a halt by a tall hill with a pine tree at the top, "Were here kid. That will be," He squinted at the meter, "$42.63"

"Give me a sec'" I rummaged around in my bag, and pulled out three tattered twenty dollar bills, "Keep the change," I said handing the money to him.

The driver accepted the money and said, "Thanks kid. Are you sure you want to be dropped off here? There's nothing there. You'll be an hour drive from the city."

I glanced up the hill toward the tree. Something that looked suspiciously like a blanket glittered in the lower branches. The pine tree seemed to draw me near, and I knew I couldn't back out now, "I'm sure."

"Okay kid. Here's my personal number if you need a ride back," the cab driver pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and a pen from the dashboard, and quickly jotted down his number, "Here," he said handing me the paper.

I accepted it, a little touched at the thought and said, "Thanks,"

I got out of the cab, and swung my backpack on. The cab sped away, leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere. I started up the hill, but paused. Anything could be on the other side of it, and I wanted to be ready. I pressed my hand to the small bronze necklace that I wore around my neck, and it shimmered, growing into an archer's bow. A strap appeared around my chest, holding up a sheath of arrows on my back. I pulled an arrow out, and knocked my bow.

I won't even pretend that I knew how it worked. I first found out that it could do that when I was on a train entering New York. Needless to say, it really freaked out the other passengers. Don't even ask me how I got out of that one.

When I got off the train, I took the bow out into a small patch of trees outside New York, and found out that I actually had a knack for it.

I slowly proceeded up the hill, ready for anything I might find there. Or so I thought.

As I neared the tree, I noticed that what I thought was a golden blanket was actually a sheepskin, or a fleece. Oh yeah. It was solid gold. The sun glinted off the gold fibers, dazzling my eyes, but what really caught my attention was the dragon.

Yes,a good old ancient dragon. It was curled around the base of the tree, it's eyes closed. Its scales were a pale green, and when it yawned I was engulfed with what smelled like cough drops trying to mask a mouth that hadn't been brushed in two hundred years.

As I neared the crest of the hill, the dragon opened its eyes, sniffed the air, and jerked its head towards me. A low growl escaped its throat, and it rose to its feet. Tendrils of smoke curled out of its nostrils as it slowly snaked towards me. I pulled the arrow taught on the bow, and aimed it directly at the dragon's face. Just as I was about to let it fly, a shout came from the other side of the hill.

"Peleus! What is it? Is there something there?" it was a girl's voice, and by the sound of it, she was coming closer.

The dragon continued advancing towards me as if it had not heard the voice at all. Soon it was less than ten feet away, and I thought I was dragon chow. I doubted my arrows would even pierce the dragon's scales, and I was ready to accept defeat when someone came over the top of the hill. She looked towards me, a surprised expression on her face. She fumbled for something at her waste, and I noticed a long, bronze sword strapped there.

"Peleus, down!" I was glad for the help, but somehow I didn't think she was going to help me. Heedless of her voice, the dragon continued towards me, "Peleus! I said down!"

Peleus-I guessed that was the dragon's name-flinched at her voice, and slowly turned around and stalked back to the tree, wrapping his body around it. I took the chance to turn and run, but something wrapped around my foot holding it in place. I looked down and almost freaked out when I saw that some roots had burrowed out of the ground, and gripped my foot.

"What the . . ." I tugged at my foot, trying to free it from the grasp of the roots. I looked up the hill, and the girl was still standing there with an amused look on her face.

"You're not gonna get out you know,"

"Let me go!" I shouted, and tugged even more frantically to get out.

The girl put out her hand, and made a waving motion, and instantly the roots retreated into the ground.

I looked at her, astonishment written on my face, "How did you do that?"

"My mom is Demeter," she said simply.

"Wait, do you mean Demeter the Greek goddess?" when I was little, my mom used to tutor me in Greek mythology.

"Yup," she said.

I thought that there must be an insane asylum on the other side of the hill, and that somehow this girl had escaped, but the didn't explain the dragon.

"This right here is Peleus," she said as she rubbed the dragon's head, making it purr. I didn't even know that dragons could purr!

I glanced towards the golden fleece hanging in the pine tree, "What's that?" I said pointing.

She glanced at the tree, "Chiron will tell you if you are a demigod," she looked at the bow and arrows in my hand, "Although, judging by the weapons in your hand, you must know something," she turned around, and started back over the hill, "Follow me."

I didn't know what else to do, but follow her. She was already out of sight, on the other side of the hill. As I neared the rise, Peleus growled, deep and low in his throat, but he let me pass. For the first time, I was able to see on the other side of the hill, and trust me, there was a lot to see.

The sight was astonishing! It was like a miniature Greek city made for war. I could see a barn like house at least four stories high, sitting close to the hill. There was what looked like a sword arena, amphitheater, and to my delight, an archery field, which reminded me. I slid my hand over my bow, and it slowly grew smaller, till it was only an inch high. I linked it back up to my necklace, and the sheath of arrows on my back grew smaller, until it was gone. I looked down the hill, and noticed that the girl was standing only a few feet away, smiling up at me. I rushed down to meet her.

"My name is Katy by the way," she said.

"Mine is Collin."

She started walking again, and I noticed that she was leading me towards the four story barn house. As we neared I saw that it had a wrap around porch, and at least a dozen windows. I was a little intimidated by the building's size, buy I followed Katy anyway. She led me up some steps that placed me on the porch, and followed it around a corner. As I rounded the corner, I wasn't ready at all for what I was about to see. A small table was placed near the railing, and a short, slightly overweight man was sitting there. In the chair next to him a boy about my age sat. He was wearing an orange t-shirt that read CAMP HALF-BLOOD. But they weren't what caught my attention. Standing next to them was a half-man half-horse, which I recognized as a centaur.

The centaur glanced up, and noticed me and Katy standing there, "Who is this, Katy?"

"This is Collin, I found him on half-blood hill. Peleus almost ate him," her eyes shone with amusement at the memory, "If I hadn't gotten there in time, we wouldn't have had to feed Peleus."

I shuddered at the thought that I came so close to death, and was saved by a girl that couldn't be any taller than five feet.

The centaur clip-clopped closer, and looked down at me, "What were you doing there? Trying to steal the fleece? No, I imagine not. You probably would have killed Katy and Peleus if you were. I suppose I should tell you who I am. I am Chiron."

I almost choked when I heard the name, "You mean like from Greek times? _That _Chiron?

Chiron smiled at me, "Yes, _that_ Chiron."

"Shouldn't you be dead. It's been, like, a couple thousand years!"

By now, both of the people at the table looked up from the card game they were playing, and focused on me and Chiron.

"The gods have allowed me to live as long as there are still demigods for me to teach."

I screwed up my face in confusion, "Hold up, what do you mean "the gods" and "demigods"?"

The boy in the orange t-shirt shook his head, "Chiron, it's obvious that he doesn't know what demigods are. Want me to show him the orientation video?"

Katy stepped forward and said, "I think he knows something, Malcolm. When I found him, he had a charmed set of bow and arrows. Look at his necklace."

Malcolm got to his feet, and walked over, examining me as he came. I noticed that he had short, dark hair, and stormy gray eyes. He was at least three inches taller than me, and it looked like he could do some serious damage to me if he wanted to, and that was before I saw the long, bronze sword strapped to his belt. He reached forward, and took the bronze pendant that hung around my neck, feeling it in his hands.

He looked at me and said, "How does this work?"

I yanked the pendant out of his hands, and noticed that everyone, except for the pudgy man at the table who was still contemplating his next move, was looking expectantly at me. I sighed, and closed my hand around the pendant, and it slowly grew into the same long bow that I had used on Half-Blood hill. The sheath of arrows appeared on my back, holding at least fifty arrows.

They all stepped back in surprise except Katy who had been expecting it, "Look, someone sent my mom this package which held the necklace that I'm wearing now. Something attacked her, and she told me to come to New York. She gave me the necklace which I didn't figure how to work it until I was on a train to New York."

I glanced around at the faces around me, expecting disbelief, but was met with nothing. Chiron stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Malcolm, show Collin around the camp. Set him up in cabin eleven, and bring him back here for orientation."


	4. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter Three. This is were the real fun begins. Enjoy!**

So that's why it always felt like someone was watching me. I was a demigod. Half human, half god. Malcolm didn't tell me who my godly parent really was, because he didn't know. He said that if I'm lucky I'll be "claimed" soon, which means that my godly parent will send a sign telling me who he was.

"For now you will bunk in cabin eleven, the cabin of Hermes. He's the god of travel, so he accepts all new campers until they are claimed," he explained.

"Isn't Hermes also the god of thieves?" I asked nervously.

Malcolm threw me a mischievous smile and said, "Just keep a close eye on that necklace of your."

We were hanging out on a dock that stretched over a glittering lake in the middle of the camp. It was only an hour ago that I watched the orientation video, and I gotta tell you, it was really easy to believe it. It just felt . . . right.

"You know, I've been thinking," Malcolm said, "When we stopped by the archery range, you did amazing. You hit the bulls eye almost every time. I think that your godly parent might be Apollo. He's the god of archery."

"What about Artemis?" I asked, curiosity written all over my face.

Malcolm laughed and then said, "It's true that Artemis is amazing at archery. And she is Apollo's twin sister. But she vowed to be a virgin forever, so no children. Didn't you notice how empty her cabin was when we passed by?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Malcolm glanced over the railing of the dock, and smiled at something in the water, "Collin, look into the water."

Warily, I stuck my head over the railing, and looked into the deep, crystal clear water, where I could see right to the bottom. What I saw almost made me have a heart attack. Two young teenagers were sitting on the bottom of the lake, weaving baskets. They looked totally normal, except for the fact that they were breathing the water.

I looked up at Malcolm, who was smiling, "Who are their parents? Poseidon?"

"No, Collin. These are naiads, or water spirits. They live in the lake, and save any campers from drowning if they fall into the water. Right now we only have one son of Poseidon, and he lives with his mom during the winter, and comes to train in camp over the summer. He is the best swordsman in camp."

"That's awesome. Can he control the water?"

"Yeah," Malcolm said, "And he can breath under water, too. His name is Percy Jackson."

"That's cool."

A loud horn blasted in the distance, and Malcolm started, "Wow, time goes by fast when you're having fun. It's time for dinner. Go to cabin eleven, and the Stoll brothers will show you to dinner. Remember, no matter how childish they seem, they are cabin leaders," Malcolm turned and started walking back towards the cabins, but turned and called over his shoulder, "Oh, and don't get on their bad side. They are excellent at revenge, and they will hold a grudge for a long time. I know, I've been their victim several times." and with those words, he turned and walked off in the direction of the cabins.

Dinner was served by tree nymphs or Dryads, in an open air pavilion. Dinner was barbecue style chicken and pizza. Grapes and cake were on the side, and an empty goblet was placed before me by a short, giggling dryad. The table I sat at was over crowded and loud. Connor Stoll sat directly across from me, and his brother Travis sat at the other end of the table, flirting with the dryad bringing his food.

I was about to dig in, when I noticed everyone standing up, and forming a line in front of the large fireplace at the front of the pavilion. I stood up and followed them, and found myself standing next to Katy, the girl who had first found me on Half-blood hill.

I turned towards her and whispered, "What are we doing?"

She looked up at me, and laughed slightly, "Were giving an offering to the gods. We take a small portion of our meal, the best part, and drop it into the fire."

It was her turn next, and she dropped in a small cluster of juicy grapes which send up a large puff of smoke that smelled as if it came straight from heaven. When it was my turn, I dropped in a semi-large chunk of perfectly barbecued chicken, and whispered to the gods _I have no idea what's going on. If you're my parent, please claim me. I'm so confused. I need help!_

I backed away from the fireplace, and returned to my seat at the overcrowded Hermes table, my throat dry. When Connor took his place across from me I asked him, "Were do we get something to drink?"

"Watch," was all he said, and he waived his hand over the top of his empty cup, and it filled with a caramel brown liquid that smelled like root beer.

I stared in astonishment at him, "How did you do that?"

Connor smiled and said, "The cups are magic. Just wave your hand over it and think of what drink you want. It will just appear in the cup."

Even though it sounded crazy, I decided to give it a try. I put my hand over the cup, and thought of my favorite drink. Cream soda. Instantly, the goblet was filled with the caramel substance, "I could get used to this."

Connor laughed and continued talking with his other cabin mates, leaving me to think about what happened today. Or at leas I would have, except for the fact that it was way to noisy to concentrate on anything.

I fingered my bronze necklace, wondering if my dad would claim me tonight. I doubted it. Why would he want to claim a poor, ADHD, kid like me. I can't remember one achievement I was ever honored for at school. I could think of five schools that I was expelled from. Three for purposefully setting a fire, one for assaulting a teacher (I know what you're going to say, but he started it), and one for vandalizing school property.

Yep, I'm sure my dad would want to claim me. I can just hear him now, bragging to the other gods _My son has been expelled five times. He has ADHD and can't even get a job at McDonalds. How much of a social fail is your child?_

My thoughts were interrupted when Chiron, the centaur, called out for everyone to be quiet, "Today the gods have delivered a new demigod unto us. His mother was killed protecting him, and before he came to camp, someone anonymously gave him a a charmed bow and arrows. We believe that it may be his godly parent. He currently resides in cabin eleven, for he is unclaimed. Let us all pray that he is claimed soon, for no one deserves to be ignored by their parent."

A roar of approval echoed throughout the pavilion. The pudgy man,who was playing cards with Malcolm stood,up from the head table. Malcolm told me he was the Greek god Dionysus, which was hard to believe, and to never anger him.

He cleared his throat, and made some announcements, none of which made sense to me. He talked about how the gods were preparing for war with the titans, and that he believed the time of the Great Prophecy was drawing near. After the last announcement, the camp grew still, and I heard the name _Percy Jackson_ whispered throughout the crowd. I didn't get it, but then nothing made sense to me lately.

Chiron's voice boomed throughout the pavilion once again as Dionysus sat down heavily, "And with that, it is time for capture the flag! Hermes, Apollo, Ares and Aphrodite,, you're on the red team. Athena, Demeter, Persephone, and Hephaestus, you're on blue team. As always, I will serve as both referee and battlefield medic! To both teams, I say good luck!" and with those words he cantered off towards the forest. The rest of the campers followed him, and I got caught up in a tide of campers, all of the whooping war chants. I worked my way to the front of the crowd, and noticed that we were headed to a row of tables, each one stocked with ever medieval weapon and piece of armor in the world. The campers gathered around the tables, and began choosing weapons.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to find Michael Yew, the head counselor for the Apollo cabin. He couldn't have been more than five feet, but he radiated confidence. There was a sheath of arrows slung over one shoulder, and a bow almost as tall as him in one hand.

"I heard that you have a thing for archery. Just to let you know, you can't use pointed arrows, "he grabbed another sheath of arrows from the table, and pushed them into my hands, "Use these instead. They're trick arrows. Each one is labeled, so you won't need to ask." He loped off to talk to a tall, buff girl with stringy hair who I recognized as Clarisse, head of the cabin of Ares. She was carrying a long spear and was clothed entirely in armor.

I saw Connor picking through the weapon's pile, and I decided that he would probably tell me what was going on. I weaved in and out of the tables until I came to the one where he was trying to choose a weapon.

"Connor, what the heck is going on?"

Connor looked up startled, but smiled when he saw it was me. "Capture the flag," he said.

I rolled my eyes, "I know that, but why is everyone getting weapons." By now I had slung the sheath of special arrows onto my back.

"Our version of capture the flag is much different than the normal version. You see, instead of tagging each other out, we fight. Swords, spears, lances, anything we can get our hands on. Were not allowed to maim or kill, but you will get some nasty bruises," he explained, "I see that you already have a sheath of special arrows. Archers are at a real advantage in the game. They can hide in trees, and are less likely to get captured."

The game sounded fun, but I didn't know if I was ready for it yet. I decided it probably would be a good time to activate my necklace, so while Connor went back to looking for weapons, I put my hand to the charm that hung around my neck.

Once the bow was done growing, I pulled the sheath of arrows that came with it, and hid them under one of the tables. If I couldn't use them, the i didn't need to carry around the extra weight. I also grabbed a helmet with a red plume on the top, so that my own teammates didn't attack me.

Clarisse called all the reds together, and motioned towards the woods. The red team roared and charged towards the woods. I followed, less enthusiastically. A tall, lean camper with a bow and sheath of arrows fell towards the back of the group, matching my step.

"You're with me. Travis asked me to show you the ropes," he noticed the bow in my hand, "I see you prefer the the bow, too. Just stick close to me, and I guarantee you that you will come out with a minimum amount of cuts and bruises."

He quickened his pace, and I had to speed up to to keep up with him, "So you're going to look out for me?"

"You got it."

The red team entered the woods, and we trekked for about forty minutes until we came to a small stream, where the taller camper stopped, "This is the border," he said as the rest of the team disappeared into the woods, "We're on border patrol. Our job is to make sure that no blues make it across the stream. By the way, my name is Kevin. I'm from the Apollo cabin."

By now the forest was shrouded in shadow, and the wind had picked up. It made eerie sounds in the trees. It was almost the perfect setting for a horror story.

A loud sound in the brush on our side of the river startled me. A camper from the Hermes cabin,burst out, and galloped across the stream. He had a sword drawn, and a shield clipped to the other arm. He disappeared into the brush on the blue team's side, and the sound of fighting drifted towards us on the wind.

"It has started," Kevin said, "Get up in a tree, and stay quiet." He quickly clambered up a thick oak tree, and settled into a fork in the branches.

I looked around me, and spotted a birch tree with low hanging branches, and started the climb. It took me ten minutes, but I finally found a good sturdy branch with a fork, where I could sit hidden, and still see the forest below me.

It wasn't long before a group of five demigods appeared in the brush on the other side of the stream. They had blue plumes on their helmets, and each one was carrying a short bronze sword. They waded across the stream, not believing their good luck in finding an unprotected length of the border. I looked across to where Kevin was hiding, and I saw him tense. He drew his bow, and an arrow with a sphere on the front instead of a point, from his quiver. He motioned for me to do the same thing.

I searched around in my quiver for a second, before I found the right arrow, and knocked it to my bow.

I heard the sound of a bow being fired, and looked at Kevin. He was already pulling out another arrow. I looked down at the group, and saw that the first two demigods were covered in a gooey substance, that impeded their movement.

I aimed my arrow, and let it fly at the feet of the next two demigods, and it exploded, covering them with the same substance as the first two. They struggled, but the goo glued their arms to their sides.

Kevin leaped from the tree, and drew a dagger from his belt. I followed suit, and when I hit the ground, Kevin tossed me a second dagger. It landed at my feet, and I picked it up.

We advanced on the remaining demigod, who twirled his sword expertly. "Bring it on," he said confidently.

Kevin leaped forward, and slashed his dagger, but was met with the boy's sword. They struggled for a minute, each one trying to overpower the other, but the other camper with the sword won out. He threw Kevin backwards, and he crashed into a tree, and lay there dazed. The demigod advanced, and leaned down tugging at the strap that held Kevin's arrows, bu Kevin wasn't as dazed as he thought, He kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into the other demigods who were still trying to get out of the sticky substance. The white glue latched onto his arms and legs, gluing him down. The fight was over.

Kevin stepped forward, a triumphant grin on his face, "You can't beat the blue team." He looked at me, and gestured me forward. I walked up to him, and handed him the knife he lent me, "Keep it."

"Thanks," I said, and slipped the dagger into my belt.

"Well, it looks like you guys caught a couple of intruders," a voice came from behind us. The bushes rustled, and Clarisse stepped forward, her spear in hand. Seven other demigods from the Ares cabin followed, each one holding either a knife or sword. Clarisse looked at the demigods glued together, and then back at us. "Good job," she said.

One of the sons of Ares stepped forward, and knelt by the mass of glue. "How do we get them out? We need to get them to jail."

Kevin pulled a canister from his waste band and pointed it at the demigods. He sprayed, and a stream of green foam shot out, encasing the glue. It slowly started to shrink, and the glue was eaten away. Pretty soon, the blue team was free, and the Ares campers each grabbed one. They marched them off into the woods, leaving Clarisse behind.

"How did you guys manage that?" she asked disbelievingly.

Kevin patted his sheath of arrows. "Gumballs," was all he said.

Clarisse rolled her eyes and retorted, "Yeah, I forgot. Apollo is to chicken to fight hand combat like the rest of us."

My ears grew hot at the comment, not because I was embarrassed, but because I felt bad for Kevin. "Don't talk about Apollo that way!"

Clarisse looked at me startled, and Kevin was motioning for me to stop.

"You got something to say, little man?" Clarisse took a step forward, her spear raised.

I took a step back, but held my ground. "Apollo is twice the god Ares will ever be! Archery takes triple the talent then swinging a sword around!"

Clarisse was silent for a moment, but then she just blew up. She let out a battle cry, and leaped forward, slashing her spear. I jumped back just in time, and it swished harmlessly in the air. I pulled out my bow and an arrow, and aimed it at Clarisse's chest, not caring what type it was, but before I could let it fly, Kevin tackled Clarisse from behind. They tussled on the ground a moment, and I couldn't get a clear shot, when Chiron burst through the trees, a small medic pack strapped to his waste.

"What is going on here?" He leaned down on his front knees, and grabbed Clarisse from behind, dragging her off Kevin. She stood up, and dusted herself off. Kevin stood up, wiping some blood from his lip, and rubbing his upper arm. "I said, what is going on here?"

"Nothing Chiron," Clarisse murmured.

"Yeah, nothing," Kevin agreed.

"Clarisse, Kevin, when the game is over, I want to see you in the big house. You two need to be punished. And by the look of it, you won't have to wait long," said Chiron pointing a little ways down the stream.

The red team's flag was being rushed towards the border, held aloft by two nervous campers in clunky armor with blue plumes. They were being chased by a small group of Hermes campers, but they were to far behind to do anything. The blue team won. As soon as they crossed the stream, Chiron pulled a large shell from his belt, and blew it. I guessed it was suppose to signal the end of the game.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hope you enjoy Chapter four! **

Chiron cantered off towards the two demigods, and raised their hands, a sign of victory. The red flag shimmered, and changed from Ares symbol, a boar and a bloody spear, to the mark of Athena, a silver owl. One of the demigods took of his helmet, and I noticed that "he" wasn't a he. It was Katy. The other demigod took off his helmet, and I noticed that it was Malcolm.

I jogged over, and congratulated them. By now, a large group of campers had gathered, the blues patting Katy and Malcolm on the back, the reds throwing their helmets on the ground, and kicking them like sore losers. I noticed Clarisse towards the back of the crowd, glaring at Kevin, as if it was all his fault that we lost. I was thinking how unfair it was for her to blame Kevin for losing, when a piercing scream emanated from the center of the crowd.

The campers surged backwards, tripping over one another to get away from the center of the crowd. The scream came again, this time louder, and stumbled forward, trying to get in the open, away from the seething mass of bodies, to see what was going on. I almost wished I hadn't.

I drew the dagger from my belt, but I doubted it would do anything against such a large beast. A large bronze dragon was towering over Katy, oil dripping from its maw. Frayed wires stuck out of its neck, and it must have been at least fifty yards long. Malcolm lunged at the dragon, his sword drawn, but the dragon batted him aside with his head, throwing him dazed to the ground.

Katy screamed again, her own sword drawn this time. Just as it lunged at Katy, I jumped onto its back, and buried my little dagger into its neck. The dragon reared up, and turned his head, trying to get a view of the little annoyance on his back. I scrambled up onto his head, repeatedly stabbing it. It threw its head up, letting loose a column of fire. It roared, and whipped its head from side to side, until it threw me to the ground.

I landed in a soft pile of leaves, and felt blood drip down my neck. The dragon raised its head, and zeroed in on me. I sparks shoot out of its neck, and it dawned on me that this was some sort of automaton. It opened its mouth, as if deciding if I was big enough to be a decent meal. It seemed to make up its mind, and lunged. I thought I was dragon chow, and I closed my eyes, preparing to feel the razor sharp teeth dig into my flesh any minute. It never came.

I opened my eyes, and almost fainted at what I saw. One of the campers, a large, buff black kid stood in front of me, his arms extended. The dragon was staring at him, every now and then a spark shooting out of his neck. The boy waved his arms, and instantly the dragon turned tail, and ran away.

Chiron cantered forward, and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Thank you Beckendorf," he turned to the rest of the campers and spoke, "We will no longer be playing Capture the Flag in the woods. The bronze dragon has grown to unpredictable and dangerous. I advise that you all return to your cabins, and hope that the bronze dragon stays confined to the woods. I must go and warn the satyrs." And with those words, Chiron turned and galloped deeper into the woods, avoiding the route taken by the dragon.

The campers slowly left the forest in the direction of the cabins, muttering to themselves. I started after them, but someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks for saving me back there," Katy said.

"No problem. I charge giant, five ton, robot dragons everyday," I said cheerily.

Katy laughed, and then grew serious again, "You were hurt."

She put her hand to my neck, and when she pulled it off, there was blood on her fingers.

"Follow me. You need to go to the infirmary." She walked off in the direction of the Big House, and I followed close behind, "What you did was really brave."

"You think so?" I asked.

She looked at me like I was stupid, "Duh, I mean how many people do you know who will charge a giant dragon with only a small knife."

"Okay. You're right. It was brave."

She laughed, and we walked in silence for a couple minutes. In the distance I could here waves breaking on the shore of the beach, and up ahead I could see the lights of the Big House. My neck was throbbing, and I could feel the blood making its way down my chest.

"Here we are," Katy said as we walked up the steps to the porch. She led me inside, and down a short hallway. She stopped in front of a door marked "Infirmary" and led me inside.

In the room was a small bed, next to a couple medical cabinets. Sleeping mats were strewn about the floor for other patients. No one else was currently inside the room, so the one bed was free. I sat down on the edge, and Katy began rummaging around in the cabinets, until she came out with a large canteen. She crossed the room, and sat down on the bed next to me.

"Lie down," she instructed.

I did as she told, and she poured some liquid from the bottle onto my neck. Instantly the pain ceased, and the blood stopped flowing.

"You can sit up now," she told me.

I sat up and said, "Thanks." I felt my neck for the cut, and was surprised to feel that there was nothing there, "Where did it go?"

Katy looked at me and said, "I poured nectar on it. You're completely healed."

I gave her a confused look and said, "Do you mean that stuff flowers make?"

"No, stupid. Nectar is the drink of the gods. Demigods use it to heal ourselves, but if we drink to much, we will be killed. The same thing goes for mortals, except that they can't have anything."

I looked at the canteen in her hands a little nervously, "Well, just don't give me anymore."

Katy laughed, "I don't plan to. Now go get some sleep, stupid."

I awoke to the sound of alarmed shouting. I groaned and rolled over in my bed, hoping that whoever it was would go away. Someone jumped on my bad, bouncing me onto the floor. I opened my eyes, and saw one my cabin mates sitting on my bed. She was one of the unclaimed, like me.

She jumped on the floor, and kneeled next to me, and shouted into my ear, "Wake up! The golden fleece is gone! We're all gonna die!"

I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, "Just give me a minute to fully wake up."

"We don't have a minute! The golden fleece is gone!"

I jerked awake, and sat up. It had been several weeks since I first arrived at camp, and I was still stuck in the cabin eleven. My training in the bow had excelled, but I was really bad at swordplay. It didn't matter though, since I made up for it with my dagger.

"What do you mean the golden fleece is gone?"

"Finally, you're awake. Come on, follow me!" she jumped up and raced out of the cabin.

"Krissy, wait up!" I called, and on my way out of the cabin I grabbed my necklace. Hey, you never know when you're gonna need to fight.

When I left the cabin, I noticed that most of the campers were on their way up to Half-blood hill. I could see a small group crowded around the pine tree, but what I couldn't see was the golden fleece glittering in the lower branches. My heart quickened a beat, and I started running forward.

The closer I got, the worse the tree looked. Its branches were drooping, and its needles were yellow. The air smelled of decay, and the smell went to my very core.

Chiron was already there, inspecting something on the ground. When I drew close, I saw Peleus, the guard dragon, in the dirt. A large cluster of arrows stuck out of his neck, and green blood ran down his side.

"Is he going to die?" I asked.

Chiron turned around, his hands covered in blood. He wiped his hands on his side and said, "Peleus will be just fine. What were more worried about is the golden fleece. Without it, the boundaries won't be protected anymore. We'll have to set up a guard until we can get the fleece back. Annabeth! Come here!"

A teenage girl, probably about fifteen ran up the hill. She had long blonde hair, and stormy gray eyes, which marked her as a daughter of Athena.

"Yes Chiron?" she asked.

"Tell the rest of the counselors to meet me in the rec room of the big house. I think we may need to organize a quest."

"Yes Chiron," she said and turned to run down the hill.

Chiron turned to Jake Mason and said, "I want you and Malcolm to stand guard here till lunch time. Make sure no monsters cross the borders. At noon, pick two people to take your place. The counselors and I will organize official patrols by tomorrow."

I turned around, and walked slowly down the hill, headed towards the archery range. I activated my bow and arrows , and stopped about fifty yards from the smallest target. I knocked an arrow, and pulled back the bow string, bringing it close to my face, closing on eye. I zeroed in on the bulls eye, and let it fly. It buried itself, less than a centimeter from the dead center. Before it was even done quivering, I had loosed two more, each one coming closer to the center than the last.

Pretty soon, I had emptied my entire quiver, all fifty arrows imbedded deep into the wooden target. I trudged the fifty yards to the target to retrieve them, yanking hard on each one to pull it out. They left deep marks in the wood, much like the ones in my soul. I know that last line sounds cheesy, but it's true.

My mother was dead, and I didn't know who my father was. And when I finally found a place where I fit in, even that gets torn away from me.

I walked back, but instead of going to the fifty yard point, I stopped at the twenty yard point. I pulled the dagger, that Kevin gave me, from my belt, turned, and threw it like a throwing knife at the target. It hit dead center, half the blade disappearing into the wood. I was so surprised that I did that, that I dropped my bow into the dirt. I ran back to the target, and tugged on the blade, but it was really stuck in there. I braced my foot against the target, and tugged harder. It suddenly gave, throwing me into the dust.

"Ow," I said, the wind knocked out of me.

I got back to my feet, and rubbed my back. I tucked the dagger back into my belt, but instead of sitting there, it fell to the ground.

I looked down in confusion, and then noticed that I wasn't wearing a belt. I was still in my pajamas. My ears reddened in embarrassment, and I was glad that no one was around to me. I deactivated my bow, and picked up up my dagger.

"Nice pj's," a voice said behind me.

I turned around startled, but relaxed when I saw it was just Katy.

"Thanks. There designer," we both laughed, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at the camp counselor meeting in the rec room?"

"Who are you, my mother? Besides, the meeting is already over"

"So, what's the verdict? Is there to be a quest?" I inquired.

Katy seemed a little distracted when she said, "Yes, there is."

"Great. Who's going to lead it?"

Katy sighed, and it almost seemed as if she were in pain, "I am."

My eyes opened wide in surprise, "You are? That's great!"

Katy sat down on the post that marked five yards, and put her head in her hands, "What's so great about it? Have you heard what can happen on those? The last quest the camp sent out almost died a dozen times. And the quest before that _two _people died! What if I don't come back?"

I sidled up next to her, and put my arm around her shoulders, "You'll come back. You're tough. I believe in you."

"Well then you're the first. Demeter's children aren't known for their strength or leadership. All were known for is stupid gardening." The grass seemed to wilt around the edge of the post, and the wild flowers that grew throughout the archery field seemed to have lost their color. She looked up at me and said, "I would choose you to go on the quest, but you're unclaimed. Chiron won't let you go if you're unclaimed. I'm sorry."

"Wait, why me?"

Katy looked at me like I was stupid. "Have you seen how good you are with the bow and arrow? Plus you threw that knife perfectly. You hit the target dead-center."

"Oh."

The conch horn blew in the distance, signaling breakfast. Katy stood up, and a new confidence emanated from her.

"Lets go to breakfast. Chiron is going to announce the quest there. It's also where I have to pick my companions."

I stared into my bowel of cereal, willing it to explode in my face and drown me.

"Dude, if if you're not going to eat your cereal, can I have it?" Darrel, a son of Hermes asked from across the table. I pushed the bowel towards him, to upset to eat.

Chiron's voice boomed across the pavilion, calling for the campers to be quiet. "I am sure that you all know by now that the golden fleece has been stolen, and Peleus has been injured. I am sorry to announce that we have to send three demigods on a quest to retrieve it. The leader of the quest has been chosen, but the companions have not. Katy Gardener will lead the quest."

Cheering and applause echoed across the pavilion, and Katy stood up from the Demeter table on the other side of the Pavilion. Chiron called for everyone to be quiet again, and Katy remained standing.

"Katy, have you chosen you companions yet?" Chiron asked.

Katy took a deep breath, "Yes I have. Malcolm of the Athena cabin, and Collin of the Hermes cabin."

I looked up surprised. Mutters broke out from the campers, and Chiron stepped forward, shushing them again. He looked at Katy and cleared his throat, "I am sorry Katy, but Collin is unclaimed. I will not allow him on this quest."

"Why not? He can fight just like the rest of us. He's smart. Why can't he come?"

"Because he is unclaime . . ." his words trailed off, and I noticed him staring at something above my head. I looked around the pavilion and noticed the others were as well. I stood up, and I noticed that a light was coming from above me. I looked up, and almost dropped dead from what I saw.

A large glowing bow and arrow had appeared above my head, washing me in light. It followed my every move, and I have to say, it was really creepy. By now, all the other campers were standing up around me.

"Apollo has claimed his son. Hail Collin, son of Apollo," and with those words, he kneeled low to the ground, and the other campers followed, until I was the only one standing. As the symbol faded away, the campers stood back up.

When Katy stood up, the fist thing she said was, "He can go on the quest now, right?"


	6. Chapter 5

**Finally. You all knew it was going to happen. Collin has been chosen to accompany Katy and Malcolm on a quest to retrieve the golden fleece, and bring it back to camp. **

**Hope you enjoy Chapter 5 **

I stood at the top of Half-blood hill, and shielded my eyes from the sun. A small van was parked on the road at the bottom of the hill. I could see Argus, head of camp security in the drivers seat, every now and then sticking his head out the window, as if impatient to start driving.

Argus has always freaked me out. He has large blue eyes all over his body, and he never speaks. He's like six feet tall, and the strongest guy I have ever seen. He would make gang leaders run for their mommies.

Chiron stood on the other side of the pine tree, talking to Katy about the quest. I didn't know where we were supposed to go to find it, but apparently Katy had visited the something called the oracle, who told her where to go.

Malcolm was already in the van, hiding throwing knives in various places on his person. In addition to the knives, he also had a bronze sword in a sports bag which he kept around his waste. I had the dagger that Kevin gave in a sheath that I bought from the camp store for only three drachmas, and my necklace, which hung, deactivated, around my neck.

Chiron finished talking to Katy, and he clip-clopped over to where I was standing, with Katy right behind him.

He placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "You have been in camp only a short time, yet your fighting skills are amazing. Katy knows where you guys are going. Good luck."

Katy started down the hill towards the van and I followed her, but stopped and turned to call over my shoulder, "Good by, Chiron."

All he did was nod, and turned to gallop down the other side of the hill, back to the camp. By now Katy had already reached the van, and was sitting in the passenger side. I ran down the hill, and swung in threw the open side door.

"Great you're here now," Malcolm said, "Lets get this show on the road!"

I pulled the van door shut, and Argus started up the van. It ran smoothly for a second, but then shuddered, and stopped. Argus smacked the dashboard, but then winced in pain, which was really weird to watch since he was all eyes. He must have hurt the eye on the palm of his hand.

"What's wrong," Katy asked.

Argus started up the van again, and after backfiring two or three times, Argus was able to pull onto the road. We started in the direction of New York, and the van picked up speed.

As we entered the city, traffic became heavier, and I expected Argus to have trouble getting through the city, but he weaved through the streets like an expert.

Katy turned around in her seat and said, "Argus is able to drive us to the state border, but after that were on our own. He can't get to far from the camp."

Argus turned onto a large highway that lead out of the city.

Malcolm looked up from his throwing knives. "Katy, will you tell us where were going?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

Katy sighed, "I suppose I should tell you. Chiron received word from a reliable source that Eris, the goddess of strife and discord is the one who took it."

"But aren't the gods on our side?"

Malcolm snorted like I was stupid, "Not all the gods. Some of the minor gods have switched sides because they think the titans will win the war. The only reason I'm even a little surprised is because she usually sides with Ares."

"Well not this time. And even if she was on our side, she loves to make chaos. She _was_ the one who started the Trojan War."

This was news to me. Ever since I learned of the gods, I thought they were all on our side.

"So where are we supposed to go?" Malcolm asked.

"Chiron told me to either find a scene of chaos, or an old battle field. Her spirit will reside there."

My mind instantly went into over drive, thinking of different battles that happened on American soil. There was the Aleutian islands in WWII, and Pearl Harbor. But much closer were the civil war, and Revolutionary war battlefields. Plus the war of 1812. All those wars happened mainly on the East coast. I was about to voice my opinions, when a large shadow fell over the van, and something rocked it violently.

Five large dents appeared in the roof of the van, and Argus struggled to keep control. More dents appeared in the roof and I activated my bow. Katy screamed, and a small knife seemed to appear in her hand almost out of nowhere.

Malcolm had unsheathed his sword, and was looking nervously at the roof. The van swerved some more, and Argus was just able to catch an exit off the highway, that lead to a small country road. We were the only car on the road except for a large black van on the other lane, driving towards us.

Argus slammed on the brakes, and threw open the car door. He grabbed a long spear off the floor, and and turned around to get a view of what was on the roof of the van. He opened his mouth in surprise, but quickly closed it.

He jumped up in the air to a surprising height, and landed on the roof of the van. The rest of us tumbled out of the van, our weapons ready. I knocked an arrow to my bow, and Malcolm held his sword defensively. Katy clutched her dagger in a white knuckled fist.

By the time we turned to see what our enemy was, it was already a pile of dust. Argus stood on top of the van triumphantly, his spear held in the air.

Malcolm shielded his eyes against the glare of the sun and said, "Ah, come on Argus. You couldn't have left something for us to fight?"

Argus pointed down the road, and slashed the air with his spear. We turned to where he was pointing, and I noticed that the black van had drawn much closer. Wow, we must have looked weird. Three kids holding carrying lethal weapons, and a large man standing on a van with a spear.

The black van skidded to a stop, sending the smell of burnt rubber to my nose. The van was door was thrown open, and three guys dressed fully in armor piled out. The first two were carrying spears, and the third one was carrying a nasty looking, two sided, battle ax.

The man in the driver's seat stepped out, and I noticed that it wasn't a man at all. Katy gasped, and said under her breath _scythian dracenae_. I looked at her quizzically, but turned my attention back to the monster. Her top half was mostly normal, except for the glistening fangs that stuck out of her mouth. Her legs were like dragon legs, and to thick to put any sort of armor on.

She wielded a one sided battle ax, and a gladiators net. Argus leaped from the top of the van, swishing his spear. He yelled a silent battle cry, and engaged the dragon women, spear on ax. The other three men charged, and as they drew close, I noticed that they weren't men. They were only teenagers that couldn't be any older than me.

I aimed my arrow at the boy with the ax, and let it fly, but he blocked it expertly with his ax. He drew within striking distance, and swung his ax. I jumped back just in time, and it swished through the air, less than an inch from my nose. I yanked my dagger from its sheath, and ducked the boy's next swing. I moved in closer to the boy so that he couldn't hit me, and thrust my dagger upwards. I winced as the dagger went through metal, and sank easily into the boys flesh.

I pulled my dagger out of his chest, and the boy screamed clutching his chest. He tore off his chest plate, and I saw a large red stain blossoming across his gray shirt. The boy fell to the ground, and twitched, then he lied still

Katy shouted in pain, and I turned to see her clutching her left arm. Blood seeped out of a sword wound, that looked bad. I knocked an arrow to my bow, and aimed it at the the boy's chest. I released it, and it buried itself in the boy's chest. He looked down in surprise, and collapsed.

I ran to Katy, and yanked up her shirt sleeve. The cut wasn't as bad as it first seemed; there just was a lot of blood.

"Yes!" we heard Malcolm yell. I turned to look at him, and he had his sword buried in the third boy's chest. He yanked it put, and kicked the boy to the ground. "Oh yeah. That's right! You can't beat me. Yeah!"

I rolled my eyes, and turned my attention back to Katy's wound. I walked her back to the van where Argus was already waiting, his spear covered in green slime. When he saw Katy's wound, he turned and rummaged in the van, and produced a small first-aid kit. He unzipped it, and pulled out a canteen of nectar. He tossed it to me, and I unscrewed the cap, and poured it on Katy's cut. I watched in silent awe as it completely healed, and the blood disappeared.

Katy looked at me gratefully, and rubbed her arm as if she was still injured. Argus motioned in the direction of the black van, and I turned to see Malcolm rummaging through the black van. He pulled his head out, and turned to us.

"No good weapons in here," he smiled and hefted something off the floor of the van, "Except this!"

I took a few steps closer to get a better view of what he was holding, and gasped in surprise. It was a military style M14 rifle.

I ran to his side, and ran my hand along the barrel, "Does it shoot celestial bronze bullets?" I asked.

Malcolm tugged out the magazine, and pressed a small button near the top. A large bullet popped out of the top of the clip, but it looked steel, not bronze.

"Aw man," Malcolm said, "It's useless to us."

He tossed the gun back into the van, and walked down the side of the van until he reached the front. He pooped the hood, and inspected the motor. He pulled a couple wires out, and closed the hood.

He walked back to the camp van and said, "I just cost Kronos' goons five hundred dollars. Though I don't think they're going to coma all the way out here for a van and an M14 rifle."

Katy laughed, and we all piled back into the camp van. Argus had no trouble starting up the van this time, and we started down the road. I settled down in a seat, my heart still beating crazily at what had just happened. We drove in silence for a while, and I was just about to fall asleep, when Katy sat up straight in her seat, banging her head on one of the dents in the roof.

"Ow!" she said, rubbing her head.

Malcolm laughed, and doubled over in his seat. I reached over and thunked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" he looked at me with a hurt expression on his face, "What was that for?"

"For being stupid." Me and Katy laughed at him.

I looked at her, and asked why she was so startled.

"It isn't really that big a deal," she said, "I just saw the border sign. We're almost out of New York. We'll be on our own soon."

I looked at Argus, silently willing him not to leave us. Needless to say, I don't think he heard me.

After another ten minutes of driving, Argus slowed the van, pulling to the side of the road. He looked at us, and understood what he was trying to say. He couldn't go any further. Katy opened the passenger door, and stepped out. We followed suit, and piled out of the car.

I looked at Argus and said, "Thanks Argus. Hopefully we'll see you back at camp."

Argus closed the passenger door, looked at us one last time, and drove off.

I looked at Katy inquisitively, "So what do we do now?"

Katy pointed down the road in the opposite direction, "There's a train station that way. The camp store loaned us one-hundred dollars worth of mortal money. Train tickets cost only ten dollars a piece."

We started walking down the road, and Malcolm asked, "Where are we going exactly? Hundreds of battles were fought on American soil. Which one are we going to visit?"

"I was thinking Pearl Harbor."

I looked at her startled, "Pearl Harbor? That's on the other side of the country!  
Why not a civil war battlefield?"

Katy looked at me like I was stupid, "Pearl Harbor was the most chaotic battle on American soil. That was the whole point of it. The Japanese wanted to cause chaos and destruction among the American military ranks. If we're going to find Eris, it will be there."

"Yeah," Malcolm agreed.

We walked in silence for ten minutes, until we came to a small town. There wasn't a building more three stories tall, and everything seemed old fashioned. The buildings were wood instead of metal and glass like New York, and the only modern looking was a cement building about three blocks away.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Katy looked around and said, "I'm not sure, but I think that's the train station over there."

She pointed at the cement building, and I noticed a short line leading out of a small booth. We walked down the street, and we came to the booth, I noticed it was marked TICKET BOOTH.

We got in line, and Katy pulled out two twenty dollar bills. When it was our turn to get our tickets, Katy asked the man in the booth if there were any trains to California.

The ticket booth man looked at her quizzically, "Yeah, one is leaving tomorrow afternoon. Fifty dollars a piece." He pulled three tickets out of a drawer and set them on the counter.

"What?" Katy blurted out.

Malcolm stepped up, "I thought they were only ten a piece."

The ticket booth man looked at him like he was stupid, "Yeah, for closer destinations. I can get you to . . ." he looked through some papers on his desk until he found the one he was looking for, "Altoona or Pittsburgh," he offered.

"We don't want to go to Pittsburgh or Altoona!" Katy yelled.

"I'm sorry," he said, "If you don't have the money I can't give you the ticket.."

"C'mon Katy," I said and tugged on her shirt sleeve.

I tried to pull her out of line, but she wouldn't budge.

"Malcolm, help me."

Malcolm grabbed her other arm, and together we managed to drag her out of the line.

Katy gave us a hard look and said, "What did you do that for? Now we can't get tickets."

"Katy, I spent two weeks in the Hermes cabin. I know of a little thing called stealing," I whipped my hand out and produced the three tickets the man had pulled out. Each one had PENNSYLVANIA-CALIFORNIA, printed in big letters on the top. Katy let out a shriek of delight, and grabbed the tickets.

"Collin, hod did you get them?" Malcolm asked a little disapprovingly.

I smiled and said, "Well, while Katy was having her little "outburst" I was able to swipe these off his desk. With the mess of papers there, I doubt he will even notice there gone."

Katy laughed, and handed us each a ticket. Malcolm took his hesitantly.

"I really don't approve of stealing," he said seriously for once.

"Well if you don't want the ticket than go give it back to the man," Katy said.

Malcolm's face grew red, "Never mind."

We strolled toward the gate, and walked up the stairs that led to the train platform. When we got to the top, we could see four train tracks set into the ground ten feet below. I snuck up behind Malcolm, and gave him a small shove but quickly grabbed him before he could fall over the edge.

"Saved you . . ." Malcolm reached over his shoulder, and grabbed me. He placed his foot behind one of mine, and twisted his body, throwing me to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. Reflex," but he didn't sound to sorry.

Katy stood to the side laughing. I picked my self up out of the grit, and rubbed my back.

I looked at Malcolm and said, "you, sir, are a real pain."

"Malcolm shot me a smile and said, "I know."

I was about to tackle him when a loud train horn came from down the track.

Malcolm looked at his ticket. "Not ours," he said, "We're gonna be stuck here till twelve tomorrow."

I groaned, and decided to tackled Malcolm anyway. We rolled along the platform for a minute before rolling right into Katy and knocking her on top of us. She fell shrieking, and me and Malcolm rolled in opposite directions from her.

She shot us a hard look and said, "you two are so immature."

Me and Malcolm laughed, and we both stood up. I helped Katy to her feet, and she brushed the dirt from her jeans, muttering, "Why did I pick two boys for this quest? I should have picked Annabeth and Silena. Boys."

Malcolm laughed at her, "I know why you picked Collin. Because you _like _him."

Katy's ears grew red with embarrassment.

"I do not!" she shouted at him.

I felt really awkward so I said, "You know, I think I need to go to the bathroom."

Malcolm laughed again. I walked off in the direction of the boy's bathroom. When I entered, the smell hit me like a wall. It was one of the worst things ever to penetrate my nostrils. At first I thought someone must have taken a couple to many laxative pills, but as I fully entered the bathroom, I saw what was causing the smell.

I ducked into one of the stalls before it could see me. I was just hoping that the smell was strong enough to mask my own scent, or else I would be dead in seconds. I activated My bow and arrow, sheathed the bow, and pulled out my dagger.

I started out of the stall between the crack where the door closes, and got another good look at the _thing. _It was humanoid in shape, but that was where the normalcy ended. It had scaly dragon legs like the dragon woman Argus killed, but this was much bigger. Its head brushed the the ceiling. It was mostly naked except for loincloth underwear, so that I could see its large muscles. It was pacing the room, and when it reached the other side and turned, I got my first look at its face. It had fangs, and three large eyes. The first two eyes looked normal, but the third eye seemed to have a mind of its own. It looking in the opposite direction as the other two were, but it didn't have any pupils. It was large and black, just like a dog's eye.

A voice came from the other side of the bathroom, from a part I couldn't see.

"You told me that you smelled demigods! I didn't see any, so where are they?" The voice was human, or at least demigod. It was cold and calculating, as if it had no regard for human life.

The monster responded, and it sounded hurt, "I smell demigod. I will kill demigod. But first you find. I can't leave bathroom." The monster's voice was deep, and it obviously wasn't very smart since it couldn't speak in full sentences.

The other voice responded, "Of all the monsters in Kronos' army and I get stuck with a triclops. The only thing you guys are good for is locating demigods, and now you can't even do that. I'm going to go check the platform. They may be out there now."

I heard a sound that indicated the owner of the voice was standing up, and I got a glimpse of him for the first time. He wasn't wearing any armor, but he had a sheathed sword strapped to his back. His hair was short, and with a cheap dye job. He was trying to pass off as a sandy blonde, but whoever had dyed his hair was probably blind.

The boy left the bathroom, and I heard the door swing shut. The triclops sat down, its back to the door. I took this as a chance to leave the bathroom, and I did so, slipping silently out the door, careful not to make a sound.

I could see the boy with the bad dye job looking around the platform. He spotted Katy and Malcolm, and started marching towards them. He grabbed Malcolm from behind, and swung him around. I rushed forward, but Malcolm had it covered. He responded to the boy's touch by elbowing him hard in the gut, and pushing him to the ground.

Katy drew her dagger, and I activated my bow. Katy looked up, saw me, and visibly relaxed. Malcolm leaned over the fallen demigod, and held out his hand. Katy handed him the dagger, and Malcolm put it to the boy's neck.

When I drew within hearing distance, I was just able to catch the rest of the boy's sentence, ". . . wasn't doing anything. I don't even know what a demigod is."

"Don't listen to him," I said, kneeling next to Malcolm, "I saw him in the bathroom with a triclops. He knew what a demigod was then."

Malcolm looked from my face to his and said, "I trust my friend over you."

The boy looked terrified for a second, but then seemed to relax, "So what are you going to do? Kill me?"

Malcolm pretended to think about it, "Yes."

The boy laughed and said, "In public like this. You would be arrested."

I looked around the platform and noticed how empty it was, "Probably not. There isn't anyone else here but us. And we know how to kill you silently."

Suddenly, Katy shrieked behind me, and I turned around just as something was smacked into the back of my head. The last thing I saw before blacking out was a girl's smirking face."


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry to leave the last chapter in such a cliff-hanger. The chapter was getting to long, so I needed to end it, and if I left it in a cliff-hanger you would keep reading it even though I am a terrible writer. So here is Chapter 6.**

I woke up on my back, and instantly knew something was wrong. I couldn't move my arms or legs, and it took me a moment to notice I was tied to a bed. I felt nauseous, and I thought I must have been hit really hard because it seemed like the room was rocking until I discovered that it actually was.

It wasn't rocking the same way a boat would, but more like a train. I twisted my head, and saw a window just in my line of view. The train must have been on a raised railway because I could see the tops of trees go by at an astonishing pace.

I looked around the room, and thought that it must have been one of those private rooms you could rent on a train. It was painfully small, and the bad I was tied to was set in a small alcove because the rest of the room was to small to comfortably hold it. Directly beneath the window was a small, uncomfortable-looking chair, and directly across from me was a small cabinet.

I struggled against the ropes, but it was futile. Whoever had tied them was an expert. I looked around the room again, but didn't see any thing I could use to cut the ropes within reaching distance. I figured that Katy and Malcolm were being kept in a different room, probably the next one over. I decided to find out.

I twisted my body, and lurched my body, hitting the wall. /i did it again, hoping to get some reaction from whoever was in the other room. I didn't get anything.

I sighed and looked around the room again. I was startled when I saw a girl standing in the middle of the room now, because I didn't hear her come in. She was smirking at me, and I recognized her as the same girl who I had seen in my last moment of consciousness on the train platform. She had long, chocolate brown hair, and startling green eyes. Her complexion was perfect with high cheekbones, and bright vibrant skin. She had a timeless look about her, as if she never aged. Little did I know, but I had just met my first goddess.

"Who are you? Let me out?" I shouted at her.

"Yeah, I don't think so. My boss wants demigods alive. And if you don't cooperate, well lets just say that triclops love eating demigods," she pulled a knife from her belt, and I recognized it as mine. They must have taken all my weapons when I was unconscious.

Or so they thought. They didn't know my necklace was a weapon. She juggled the knife, and tossed it from hand to hand.

"We'll be in California in an hour. Eris wants to see you."

Anger swelled in me, "You work for _Eris? _She's a traitor! How could you work for _her_?"

The girl smiled at me, "Easy. She promised me a better place among the gods. I would be stupid to turn that down."

"Wait, you're a god?"

The girl looked hurt. "No, goddess," she corrected.

"Who?"

"Can't you you tell?"

"No," I said blatantly.

The girl sneered at me and said, "I'm Hebe. Goddess of youth, stupid."

"Oh."

"And when Eris helps overthrow the gods, I will hold a better place on Mt. Olympus. I have almost no power right now. The good thing is that I look permanently young."

"Kronos lied to you. After he defeats the Olympians, he will kill you, too. He's just manipulating you to get you on his side."

Hebe looked at me curiously. "You think I'm working for Kronos."

"You aren't?"

"Well, not directly. I believe Eris is, and I'm working for her, but if Kronos asked me to help him directly, I would probably say no."

My head was spinning, but I managed to keep from throwing up. Since I was lying down, it probably wouldn't have been pretty. I struggled some more against the ropes, and Hebe laughed at my fruitless attempt to get free.

"You won't get out. Danny is amazing at tying knots. Just sit tight, and we'll be in California soon." Hebe crossed the room, and sat down on the small chair, not paying any attention to me. After about ten minutes, her head nodded sleepily, and it fell to her chest. She was in a deep sleep.

I wondered if I could activate my bow and arrows without touching the necklace. I focused all my thoughts on the bronze charm, projecting all my will-power towards my chest. Nothing happened. I relaxed, disappointed, and that's when I realized I was touching it. The necklace was under my shirt, resting against my chest. I breathed deeply, and I felt the charm grow warm.

My shirt ripped open, and the bow grew too full size. I felt the strap cross my chest, and I wondered how my arrows were going to appear, since I was lying on my back, but they appeared nonetheless, across the front of my chest. My hands weren't tied down, only my upper arms. I bent my arm at the elbow, and stretched for the arrows. My finger tips were just able to reach one of the arrow feathers, and I slowly wriggled it out.

As I pulled it out more, I was able to get a better grip on the shaft, until I was holding it just below the razor sharp, double-edged head. I tried to cut the ropes holding my upper arm, but I soon found out that wasn't going to work. Since I was holding the arrow below the head, it wouldn't reach the rope. I slid my hand up the shaft, until I was holding it below the feathers. This way the arrow head could reach the arrow bounding my right arm. I sawed back and forth with the serrated edge of the arrow head. It took me ten minutes, but the rope snapped.

I was free! I sat up, and quickly untied the rope bounding my legs. I rubbed the circulation back into my legs, and looked around the room. Hebe was still asleep in her chair. I picked up the uncut rope, and softly slipped off the bed. I took a few tentative steps, and almost tripped, because my legs were still half asleep. The chair Hebe was asleep in was less then two steps away, and I silently approached.

I slipped the rope around Hebe's shoulders, praying that she wouldn't wake up. I quickly tied her to the back of the chair, and pulled the rope tight. I hoped she wasn't a powerful enough goddess to just snap and the ropes would magically untie themselves.

I started to the door, but a sudden thought stopped me. Hebe still had the dagger Kevin gave me. We had become really good friends since the little skirmish in the woods. He taught me knife fighting, and pretty soon, I was one of the best. The only two people in camp who could best me at a knife on knife fight were Annabeth and Kevin.

I turned around, and walked back across the room to where Hebe was still tied up and asleep. I lifted up her shirt and saw my knife and sheath belted to her side. I slowly slipped the knife from her side, leaving the sheath. I had already decided the sheath was a lost cause, and was fully prepared to leave it.

I turned and stalked silently to the other side of the room, my feet making no noise on the carpeted floor. I tried the door, and was disappointed to find it locked. I looked around the room hoping to find something to pick the lock with. I hoped my backpack was stashed in this room because I had a set of skeleton keys in the front of the pocket. The only thing I spotted was the window.

_No way. _ I thought to myself. There was no way I was going to climb out the window. I crossed the room and inspected the latch of the window. It was unlocked. I saw a couple problems with exiting the room via the window. For one thing, Hebe was asleep in a chair directly beneath it, and was sure to wake up if I tried to climb on top of her to get out. And I would have to climb on top of the roof of a moving train, work my way to a door where I could enter, and then find my friends.

I looked at Hebe, wondering how sound a sleeper she was, when another thought occurred to me. Kevin had loaded my sheath of arrows for me before we left on the quest. I know Kevin had a thing for "special" arrows. I swung my sheath off of my shoulder, and rummaged around in it, looking for an arrow with a purple shaft.

"Yes," I whispered quietly as I pulled one out. There were two in there, and I was lucky I hadn't already fired them. I looked at Hebe, glad that the sleep serum in the arrow head was said to even work against gods. I reached forward, ad pricked Hebe's arm with the point. Hebe's eyes flew open, and a single drop of ichor welled from the cut.

She looked at me in surprise, "What have you done?" She looked at her arm, and her eyes started to droop. "Feeling sleepy," she murmured, and fell into a silent slumber.

I pushed her chair out from under the window, and threw it open. I leaned out, and looked down. That was the wrong move. The train was on an elevated bridge that was higher than the palm tree forest we were passing over top of. The wind whipped my hair, and bits of dirt stung my eyes. I checked the strap to my sheath, making sure that it was secure. It also gave me time to build up my courage.

I sighed, swung my leg so that I was straddling the window, and leaned out further. I tried not to think what it would feel like to hit the ground almost forty feet below me. It probably wouldn't feel to good. I looked up to the top of the train looking for some sort of handhold, and was surprised to see the roof was in reaching distance from the window. I let go of the window with my right hand, and reached up, grasping for the roof. My hand disappeared over the top, and I found something to grip on to.

I pulled myself the rest of the way out of the window, and I found myself dangling by one hand from the roof. I slowly pulled myself the rest of the way up, until I was crouched on the roof. The wind was even worse on the roof, and I was almost thrown off. I crawled to the other end of the train car, and stuck my head over the edge. Directly below me a door led into the train car I just escaped from. If I wanted to find my friends, they would most likely be in there. I swung my legs over the edge, and landed ungracefully on the platform outside of the door.

I checked the door, and was delighted to find it unlocked. I slowly opened the door, and found myself in a long narrow hallway that stretched the length of the car. I figured I had been locked in the room three doors down from where I was now. I approached the first door, an arrow ready on my bow. I lightly knocked, and someone shuffled around inside. The door opened a crack, and I wasn't surprised to see the same demigod from the train platform.

He looked at me in astonishment and said smartly, "What the he . . .?" That was all he got out before I kicked the door open, and he was thrown back. I burst into a similar room as the one I had been trapped in. I looked around the room and saw Katy tied to the bed. She looked at me in surprise.

"Collin! How did you get out?"

"No time," I said. I aimed my arrow at the boy on the floor. "Where's Malcolm?"

The boy on the floor backed up a little, "If you're talking about the other kid we took, he's in the next room over. Please don't shoot me."

I looked over at Katy, "What do you say? Do we kill him?"

Katy twisted, struggling against her bonds, until she was facing him. "You work for Kronos, one of the worst villains in history. Give us one reason why we shouldn't kill you."

The boy looked terrified.

Katy sighed, "Lucky for you we're not like Kronos. We won't kill you." Katy relaxed on the bed, and looked at me.

I drew my knife and stepped closer to the boy.

"Wait, I thought you said you weren't going to kill me!"

I smiled at him, "I don't plan too."

I brought the pommel down on the boy's head, and he slumped to the ground. I nudged him with my foot, and crossed to the bed. I sawed through Katy's ropes with ease, and helped her up.

"Thanks," she said rubbing the feeling back into her wrists, "Lets go find Malcolm."

I stuck my head out the door, and looked down the hall. Instantly I ducked back in, dragging Katy with me. I shut and locked the door, but I doubted it would keep out a goddess. I saw her come out of the room that I had originally been trapped in.

"What is it?" Katy asked urgently.

"Hebe. She is down the hall."

Katy looked depressed, "She's still here? She visited me about an hour ago. I thought she left the train."

"How do we get out here. There is a goddess, and sure she may be a minor one, but she still has some power."

Katy's face brightened as if a thought had just occurred to her.

"You keep her distracted, and I will go get Malcolm. Hebe isn't the most powerful goddess; you can probably take her in a fight."

Probably didn't sound to good to me, but I really didn't care. She had ambushed me from behind, and she was going to get it.

"Stay behind me," I told Katy, "On my mark, five, four, GO!"

I burst out the door, knife in hand, and lunged at Hebe. Her eyes widened is surprise, and she held up her hands in defense. I slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. We rolled on the ground for a couple moments before I came up on top. I kneed her in the gut, but she placed her feet in my stomach, and lashed out. I flew back into the wall of the train, and I tasted blood. Hebe leaped nimbly to her feet. I jumped forward and swung my knife, making contact with her right arm. She screamed and clutched her arm, golden ichor spilling out of the cut. She looked at me with hatred in her eyes.

She spun around, swinging her foot, and catching me in the stomach. I slammed into the wall and lost my breath. I stood gasping for a second, trying to get my breath. Hebe reared back to punch, but I got my breath back just in time. I ducked, and Hebe punched the wall,making a dent in it.

"Ow!" she pulled back her hand, and looked at one of her fingers, "I think you broke my finger."

"I'm not the one who punched the wall," I pointed out, and lashed out with my dagger. I buried the blade hilt deep in her stomach, and she crumpled to the ground. I yanked back the dagger, and a spurt of golden ichor shot out of the wound. Hebe groaned, holding her stomach.

"Good job Collin!"

I turned around and saw Katy and Malcolm leaning on the train wall. Malcolm was clapping.

"How long have you two been standing there?" I asked.

Malcolm pretended to look at his watch, and Katy laughed.

"Long enough to help you, but decided not to," Malcolm said.

"Well, lets go," I said.

We started down the train hall, but I stopped, "This train is going to California, right?"

Malcolm looked confused, but Katy said, "Yeah. The demigod you hit on the head, I think his name was Danny, told me that Eris wanted to see us."

Malcolm still looked confused, "What are you guys talking about?"

I ignored him, and started wiping my dagger off on my shirt. It was still covered in ichor, and it reminded me of something.

Malcolm do you still have your throwing knives and sword?" I asked him.

He looked at me like I was stupid. "Yes, they decided to let me keep my arsenal of super dangerous weapons that I could use to get free and kill them. No I don't have them."

I looked at Katy, "You?"

She put her hands on her hips, "What do you think?"

"All right; all right," I said, "We need to find your weapons before we find a place to hide."

Katy thought for a second, "Lets try in the rooms we were locked up in. They'll probably be in your room Collin, because you got stuck with the goddess."

Malcolm looked even more confused, "Wait, wait, wait. A goddess? Which one? Was it Eris?"

I snorted, "No, not even close. It was Hebe," I said, and then changed to a falsetto tone, "Goddess of youth, stupid."

Me and Katy laughed. It felt good to be together again, but I knew that at any moment one of us could be killed. Gone just like that. Eaten. Stabbed. The possibilities were endless. We approached the third room, the one where I was kept, and silently opened the door. I noticed Hebe was still lying on floor, groaning. Golden ichor stained the floor, and moved back and forth with the motion of the train.

I stepped away from the puddle, and entered the room. Katy and Malcolm followed behind me. I crossed to the bed and looked underneath but found nothing.

"Nothing," I called.

Katy was searching through one of the drawers, but came up with nothing, "Me neither."

Malcolm was still rummaging through one of the other drawers, and I could tell he found something.

"What ya got there, Malcolm?"

Malcolm muttered something to himself, and started pulling a large duffel bag out of it. He yanked it the rest of the way out, and I noticed it was the one that Malcolm carried his sword in. He tossed it on the floor, and sat down next to it. He quickly unzipped it, and gasped in delight. Me and Katy sat down on the other side of the duffel.

I looked in, and was surprised and delighted to find _all _our gear stuffed in it. There was Katy's dagger, and Malcolm's throwing knives. There was the hundred dollars, and bag of golden drachmas the camp store gave us. Even Malcolm's large sword was still in there. Malcolm pulled out the throwing knives, and began arranging them in all there hiding places in his clothing. Katy pulled out her dagger and put it in its special sheath in her right sleeve.

"Lets go," said Malcolm hefting the bag to his shoulder. We left the room, and started down the hall, but I noticed something wrong. Hebe wasn't on the floor in front of the room anymore. Only the golden ichor was left behind, looking like a pool of molten gold on the floor.

"Ummm, where's Hebe," I said looking around.

Katy and Malcolm looked nervous, and glanced up and down the hall.

"I don't know," said Katy

"Lets get out of here before she shows up," Malcolm said looking around the train worried.

I snuck up on him, and grabbed him from behind, "Got ya!" I shouted in his ear.

Malcolm nearly jumped through the train roof, he was so scared.

He turned to me and hissed, "Don't do that."

I laughed and Katy rolled her eyes. We started down the train hall again, being more careful this time. The only sound was the rumbling of the train, and I thought it was weird that no one had come out of their cabins when Hebe yelled in pain. I worried that she did something to all the mortals, but our first priority was to find a place to hide.

We opened the door too switch cars, but fist we had to make our way across the narrow ledge that connected the two cars. There was no railing which I thought was a little weird. We edged across, the wind grabbing at our clothes trying to tear us off the train. We opened the door into a completely different car than the last one. This one was stacked high with luggage, and was dimly lit. It was icy cold, and I shivered, crossing my arms to keep in the warmth.

Katy looked around the room and said, "This looks like a good place to stay. We can hide in the luggage."

We made for a pile bigger than the rest, and dug our way into it, dragging more luggage to block the hole. It was a lot warmer in there, and we settled down for the night. We were exhausted, and it seemed a great place to hide. No one would find us in here.


End file.
